Blind Passion ( Book#1) by Bonnie Dee

A Review by Wendy
3.5 When Loving Causes Lies Stars
* * * 1/2

This book caused a lot of questions in my head... first as a woman, then as a parent... because both parts of me had to understand and come to terms with ... is lying ever ok? Oh, there are lots of ways we all lie... we lie by not telling everything we are thinking to one another... classifying it as a white lie...... and then the other type of lying by omission...when we know we should inform and share... but withhold. Then there are just the out and out stuff which is blatant and in your face type of lying... 

This book covers all of it... yet what this book has is the underlying reason of why they are lying or withholding is due to loving them... Our main character is newly blind.... she had a young life... kick'in along... going to be a graphic artist and in a fraction of a second... all is taken from her... she loses her sight. She goes through all the stages of mourning her loss... she recovers as best she can and does all the work. She goes to blind training school; learns braille and how to count her steps and become independent as best she can. She comes from a family which loves and adores her... luckily money is no issue at all. She even has her own trust fund giving her the ability to confront her parents when she wants to move out and start her life over.

The parents are concerned... She is a young adult who is smart and wants independence... they get it... but Chicago is not Mayberry RFD... it is a cold tough city and they are very concerned about her safety out there... on her own... blind. They offer her an apartment rent free in a building they own and pay for her college... she turns them down because she doesn't want them to have so much control in her life. A compromise is reached... she picks the place, they pay for school and she makes sure to have a sight worker come to help her get the lay of the land. 

She celebrates with her best friend at a bar and during this experience she crosses paths with a man... someone who she has a very short interaction with...yet it was enough to leave an impact... to rev her sexual engine which had been dormant...it was only a short interaction... but it was enough for dreaming....

Her parents and friend move her into her studio apt. and things are coming together. Just before the parents leave, her neighbor from across the hall comes out and interacts with everyone. The parents say hello... checking him out... she says hi and feels like he might be alright... not threatening or anything... and that is that..... or is it?

He is ex military suffering from PTSD and a little lost...He has no idea of really how he is going to make his way in this new life...he dabbles in bartending at his brother place with underground cage fighting as his release. He was tired of sleeping on his brother's couch so he listed himself with a security company. A recent assignment came up providing the free apt. All he has to do is shadow the client... not let them know he is there as it is needed for their safety. Piece of cake. Not.... as it turns out it is our gal at the bar...and he was struck just as hard as she was in those few moments together. 

When the parents see him and interact... they pretend not to know him... when he see her... he doesn't share he was the guy at the bar... she feels comfortable with him, for some reason... and they start to have a "friendship". At some point all of this is going to explode just like the land mine which killed all of his mates... 

These two become friends and then lovers... it is sweet, yet hot. The sweet was how both of them were coming back from loss of some kind and reaching for each other.

So... back to the questions I had running through my head while reading this... There was so much deception, trust became a huge factor... yet also where does letting go of pride and accepting some help step in, too? 
There were compromises discussed and loving wishes from the parents put out there... and yes, independence is key... but I felt maybe there could have been a compromise not causing all the deception in the first place... But that is just me... the parent talking - the older wiser me... 

I think the author did an excellent job of portraying the loss of sight and all of the challenges there are in recovery and moving forward. It made me stop reading and really think about it.

The book read fast; laid the ground work for the brother to have his story told. I am sure it will be just as engaging as this was...the brother had a really sick sense of humor and the one liners were hysterical.

A gifted copy was provided by author/publisher for an honest review.

About Bonnie Dee

I began telling stories as a child. Whenever there was a sleepover, I was the designated ghost tale teller. I still have a story printed on yellow legal paper in second grade about a ghost, a witch and a talking cat.

Writing childish stories for my own pleasure led to majoring in English at college. Like most English majors, I dreamed of writing a novel, but at that time in my life didn't have the necessary focus and follow through. Then life happened. A husband and children occupied the next twenty years and it was only in 2000 that I began writing again.

I enjoy dabbling in many genres. Each gives me a different way to express myself. I've developed a habit of writing every day that's almost an addiction. I don't think I could stop now if I tried.